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From: Mack
Date: June 23, 2005
Robert -- - You asked about the Wills fiddle on display in Sand Springs Museum -- -- The history is that I got it from my cousin who had a violin shop in Garland Texas over 30 years. He tried and tried and finally traded several violins to a Dallas Violin shop owner who did some of Wills and musicians work when in Dallas area. He was Earl H. Sangster - - - (b. 1889 - - d. 1970) - -Sangster worked in Stamps Violin Shop in Ft. Worth in 1942 and until he moved to his own shop in Dallas in 1946. He refused to sell or trade until the late 50's or early 60's when my cousin , W.A. Spraggins obtained it. I traded him for it in summer of 1977, giving him a "carload " of fiddles I bought from an estate - - actually about 5 or 6 good old German and one nice Italian violin. There is an interesting story along with it --- - there is a tiny (Tiny!!) bow stamp reading "BOB WILLS" on the upper back of the violin just below the button and on end of rib by the end pin. Eldon told me the story of how Bob had a top bow maker from Los Angeles area - - don't know who - -- make his bows - -- about an inch longer than normal so he could get more tone out of one up-or-down stroke that his other front line fiddlers, - - then he would chide them because they had to go down when he was still going up -- or the reverse - - he DE-manded that all bows be in unison whether on upstroke or downstroke for looks to the audience -- it was a timing thing - --naturally, some of the other fiddlers found out about the "cheater" or longer bow and Bob would just laugh - - -- ..... And he stamped some of his other things with the tiny block letter bow stamp., which is how this display fiddle was personalized--_---- mack
Thanks Mack for that great story. I am including 2
pics of that fiddle for the group to see.
Thanks, Robert
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